finally got some time to upload the last bill. I still havent been refunded the amount charged for the FIP overhaul, even though it was authorised, and i saw the authorization email.

I gave the car to refit the rear windscreen, as well as to fit a few clips and caps which were missing. I was told that the glue used to fit the windscreen takes 8 hours to set, and will probably take till tomorrow.

On the way back, paid ImmortalZ a visit, saw his various shades of purple civic, and caught a ride to work on the new low floor Volvo which has been introduced in Tvm. the great thing is that it comes right up to my office building.

I gave the car to refit the rear windscreen, as well as to fit a few clips and caps which were missing. I was told that the glue used to fit the windscreen takes 8 hours to set, and will probably take till tomorrow.

Was any work undertaken on the hatch door this time, or did it just work itself loose on its own? Make sure the fittings is proper, as the windshield replacement on my car which they claimed was stuck using 3M sealant resulted in air leaking into the cabin. Asked them to redo the same, and the job was done well. They blamed the earlier batch of sealant for the issue.

nope. It started squeaking first, and then small rattling, which became huge. I stuck one corner with superglue, but then the other corner worked itself loose.

What I'm worried about is these noises surface when the car's body undergoes forces which tend to twist it ( turning sideways on a steep incline, getting in/out of ruts on inclines, when one side of the car is higher than the other ( when the other two wheels are on the footpath etc). the car creaks like those vintage subs in movies

Underbody noise/Vibrations from Front Right side, especially when turning
Front Left Headlight leveler not working/noise when adjusting
Leak from rear right door
Idling RPM issues ( very low, frequent switching with AC on)
Vibrations at load ( climbing inclines/speeds >100 kmph)
horn Pad not working occasionally
Right control stalk is stiff/heats up in use

Remember to get a refund for the FIP overhaul which was done under ext warranty

Stuck with the lack of action over the extended warranty, i sent a mail to tata customer support. got a call from the workshop in minutes, motivated by the TASC owner/Manager. Was told that the issue was being looked into, and repair was progressing, and that the battery being low, he would call back later.

I didn't get time to tell them that the issue was with the extended warranty payment, and not with my lack of pickup.

had a very eventful day today.
Called up the Customer Care manager, asked him about the whole extended warranty thing. he said that's not what usually happens.

Got a call saying my car was ready. Headed off to Kulathunkal, picked up my car.
Someone ( I think is the works manager) asks me if I was the person who called to tata about the extended warranty. They said they would take care of it and get me the cheque on monday. When asked if Extended warranty is done this way, he is non commital, and says that it will be done as soon as possible.

The underbody noise is partially fixed, one of the ball joints was replaced, the other was out of stock. The door still leaks, apparently its a bodywork issue, need to go to their other branch which has the bodyshop.

My headlights leveler has stopped working, and the entire assembly needs to be changed (~3.6k), I can live with it, and so I say no.

The idle rpm has been increased, so less jerkiness. At least something good came of the visit.

Went for a drive to the airport to check out the max speed ( airport road is fairly long and straight and empty). Not much improvement with acceleration, speed maxed out at about 130. Oh well, can't ask for too much.

On the way back, the Check Engine light comes on a Few times in between. Drive straight to Kulathunkal back again, and they take the car back in. I run into the owner of the TASC. He invites me to the office for a 'friendly' chat. Confirms pretty much what the other guy said.

Car is given back saying that The Check engine issue was due to some error which was logged in the ECU (AFAIK, my ECU doesnt log errors) , and the light wasnt on anyway, when i gave it to them. Either way i believe them, and take my car, and just as i reach the gate, i hear a funny clattering sound, and the CEL comes on again, reverse straight back to the TASC, when it suddenly goes off. The advisor says he's helpless if I can't reproduce it.

I drive back to the office. I remember that since the ball joints have been changed, the alignment needs to be redone. I turn on the car, and the CEL comes on straight away, and the clattering noise. I drive the car back to the TASC, with the car stalling once or twice along the way. Give them an earful, and they take the car back.

I wait an hour or so. My advisor returns, and takes me for a TD. After driving a few kilometers, Idling some more, and driving a bit longer, no sign of CEL yet. Looks good enough, and I drive back, straight to a wheel alignment shop.

They tell me the camber in the left wheel was off big time, and that its fixed. They said that it had not been touched for a while, and the bolts were hard to move. The alignment seems to have cured some of the vibrations.

In the meantime , i killed time chatting with the security and the staff who were all looking at the eclipse. The security even had the proper glasses!

A whole day spent. At least something good came out of it.

For those of you contemplating Buying a tata vehicle, this is what lies in store for you. Tread carefully. VFM is not everything

After calling all day, someone picks up the phone there. Am told the cheque is ready, that I could pick it up. The amount turns out to be for 2318, which is exactly the amount which i paid for my last service, and approx 600 less than what should be refunded to me ( 2925/-)
After talking to the owner and the customer support dude, they still dont have a convincing answer. For the time being, their claim is that the approved amount is not the same as the claim amount. I asked them how they arrived at this 2318 figure ( which is exactly the same as my last service bill) , and they said they would show me the claim approval mail in two days.

if you read the last few pages, you would have noticed my general helplessness as the condition of my car deteriorated despite several visits over the last few months to the TASC.

This week, I found what was wrong. Interestingly, It was not the car. It is a bunch of lying lazy incompetents who call themselves a TASC.

I found a workshop near a colleagues house, which claimed to be a tata specialist. I decided to get my other ball joint replaced by them. The noise was driving me nuts. The head mech there took my car for a test drive, and said that the pickup was kinda strange, and there were some weird noises.

FINALLY! this was something I'd been trying to hammer into a whole bunch of thick header service advisors and failed to do. He said he'd change the ball joint, and look into the performance issue.
That evening, he calls me if he could replace the air filter. I'd just replaced it 10k ago, but let him anyway. I was wondering if he was trying to pull a fast one on me. I go there to pick up the car. and sure enough, my filter is there on the ground. It seems quite dirty. I try banging it myself, and there is nothing further to be banged out of it. he comes over grinning, and says that there isnt any more, they tried their best, and the filter was too clogged to be helpful, and was not letting enough air get through. I even make him open the airbox to be sure.

The bill is a shocker. 370 for the air filter, 500 for a ball joint ( open market rates are 200 and 360 respectively) plus another 230 labour. But driving shows that all is well. even the acceleration seems to be fine. no weird noises. just a turbo doing its job, and a noisy IDI engine.

He also said that while he was down there, the suspension bushes looked tired, and could use some help. it would be expensive, but decided to check with dad.

and the suspension issue turned out to be something dad had a grouse about all along. he had been shouting hoarse about this the last one year . The tasc had been claiming that this was a non issue, and even supposedly changed the front suspension kit, though there was no difference.

This guy quoted 6k for the job. though it seemed high, dad gave the green light.
two days later, got the car back. its all greasy outside, and dusty inside, and it took a bit later in the evening since the wheel alignment took longer. The bill came to 6.7k, rounded down to 6.5k after a bit of whining on my part The mech insisted of me taking a TD, but i said that I wouldnt know the difference. Boy was I wrong!

It was a blinding flash of the obvious the moment I drove out. The car had felt like a cart and a bucket of bolts in the recent past, and had been envying the getz of a friend I'd been hitching rides in all this time. The ride felt so much better. And now I was in my car, and I couldn't stop thinking how unbelievably better it was. The stony unpaved sections seemed so distant, the car did not lean like a bike at corners. While it had lost a bit of the knife on edge feel, yet was so much better. I felt so much more confident hitting 100, not nervous at all.

Almost 3 years down the line, i'd believed that all tata cars would eventually die slow deteriorating deaths, and that I'd be an unhappy spectator to mine. Somehow I've got new hope. I dont know if these guys are ripping me off, or misleading me, I'm no indica expert, but I know my car feels vastly , VASTLY better.

Almost 3 years down the line, i'd believed that all tata cars would eventually die slow deteriorating deaths, and that I'd be an unhappy spectator to mine. Somehow I've got new hope. I dont know if these guys are ripping me off, or misleading me, I'm no indica expert, but I know my car feels vastly , VASTLY better.

Hi Auster, happy that your car feels good to drive now. A car's after all a machine, and can be fixed under able hands of good mechanics.

UNBELIEVABLE!!
A road side mech does a much better job than 'trained' TATA hands?!!!! Is he an ex-TASC chap? Must be, if he such an expert.

I honestly feel its time you took this matter with the top honchos in TATA South / Kerala with all associated proof of the shoddy careless ways of their staff. A mention to this link should also be given as a running commentary.

Hope atleast from now on, you have a better innings with your drive, having found a mech who knows his Indica!!